It's pretty damn ironic that it's the Iraq war that's dooming G.W. Bush's re-election. After all, it was the war that was supposed to correct the big error of his father's administration - leaving Saddam in power - and pave the way for a guaranteed G.W. second term.
Bush was, after all, like Prince Hal from Shakespeare's Henry IV, a lazy ne'er do well who finally demonstrates a sense of responsibility and rises to leadership only when the legacy of his father is threatened. In Shakespeare, Prince Hal is determined to correct the errors of his father, and, in doing so, cements his own legacy of bravery and heroism.
That's at least how it went in Shakespeare.